5 Practical Financial Preparations For a Long-Term Vacation

When that first cold wind or frost hits, I’m always surprised. I have no clue why — I’m Canadian, a Winnipeg native — and I’m well acquainted with this country’s winters.

If the chilling reminder of what’s in store this season has you thinking of going on an extended trip, here are five financial preparations to make before any long-term vacation.

Get travel insurance. Only half of Canadians, according to BMO, buy medical insurance before traveling. You don’t want to get caught with a $20,000 bill to treat a broken leg in the U.S. Check with your employer or your credit card company because you may have some coverage under their plans.

Check your home insurance policy. According to a recent TD Insurance survey, only 12% of Canadian snowbirds say they checked their home insurance policy to ensure their primary residence would be covered while on vacation. Read More…

Post navigation

Replies to this Post

Bennett S.says:

Great advice indeed! My family has always migrated down south to Florida for years and it always amazed me that they never did much in terms of insurance before travelling. That is until last year when they thought to get medical insurance since although we in Canada have free healthcare it would have been a pain if they got ill and needed to head to the hospital and pay out of pocket.

Thankfully they never got into that situation but now the rest of us can have peace of mind that they have insurance.

Malcom Riddlesays:

I want to know details on the import fees when returning from vacation. I’ve always know what i need to do when traveling but always had issues trying to figure out how to bring back gifts at the least cost (duty, etc).

Kinleysays:

The biggest problem is forgeting to take care of bills before heading out. I’ve experienced this headache plenty of times.

Demetrius Perkinssays:

Where are the places one gets insurance though? Do you buy it in the country you visit or here before leaving??

Lylesays:

Wow i learned something new. So you are suppose to check the requirements on your home insurance before going on vacation?

Interesting. Never knew that was important. Thank you.

Korisays:

I dont even have enough to make it to near by city for a concert let alone vacation 🙁

Denzel Bsays:

Having a friend or family visit the place from time to time is what we do when we travel. We’re going away in a few weeks to Jamaica and our neighbor (family friend) will be taking care of the place for us. 🙂

Tavissays:

Good advice for the young folks since most are clueless. For us older types this is a bit obvious to me.